Black Bear spotted in Pt Washington!

[jodiFL]

That is sad. Is it legal to hunt Black Bears here?

Been illegal since 1994, but they were thinking about resuming some kind of season according to this report.
EDIT:
http://myfwc.com/WILDLIFEHABITATS/Bear_rules_regs.htm

 

[Kurt]

That is sad. Is it legal to hunt Black Bears here?

Legal but restricted. They are listed as a threatened species in Florida and cannot be killed without a permit. Apparently there is not enough room for humans and bears to coexist.

FWC - Florida Black Bears


The Bear Facts - 25 Things Every Black Bear Hunter Should Know

Fact #22 - Baiting is far from easy, and holds no guarantees! From time to time you get lucky and have one move in cautiously to inspect the provisions, but this is frequently more the exception than the rule. Perhaps the biggest advantage I see in baiting is that, if and when a bear finally does come to the bait, it can allow the hunter time to assess size and stature. This is advantageous for the trophy hunter, allowing the option to pass up smaller bears, thus diminishing the odds of falling victim to ground shrink.

 

[barefootguy]

Humans don't seem to coexist well with any animals. If that bear decides to hang around someone will get him. We had a beaver move into Driftwood Estates last year. I thought that was odd, but was excited about it. It took down a few trees, built nice home, and did it's best to remain unnoticed, but I'm starting to think that someone may have noticed (and removed him).

I was curious to see if a beaver family would be a help or a hindrance to Driftwood's drainage issue. I'm still out there looking for him, hoping to find him alive!

 

[beachmouse]

We had bear+dumpster problems at work a while back, and the same bears were also getting into people's trash in a couple neighborhoods over by Turkey Creek. They ended up having to kill one of them because he actually went into someone's house (which meets the criteria for overly agressive bears) and the rest were trapped and relocated to the Bad Bear Reformatory area of Tate's Hell Swamp over in the Big Bend.

They're actually pretty common on Eglin reservation these days. A couple years back, I saw one that was sadly roadkill on 20 in Choctaw Beach.

 

[dmarie]

THAT TOTALLY EXPLAINS the very odd noise I heard last night. I live in Eden Estates - several minutes walk to the school. With all the windows open, I very clearly heard a noise that I have never heard in the 30 years I've lived here. The dog, outside, was going nuts!!!! I have to deal with my fair share of wildlife out here, squirrels, rats, possums, raccoons, and the dog has a certain response to them. Last night was something completely different. Her bark told me it wasn't just our garden-variety visitor. The sound made me mute the TV and just listen for awhile to figure out what it was.

Thanks for informing us! Watch your kiddies!

 

[scooterbug44]

Bears are not a danger or problem (sans cubs) until people start feeding them and leaving out trash/food.

If you are worried about a bear near your home, remove the things that attract them - bird feeders, trash, etc.

If you DO have a problem, there are many non-lethal ways to discourage them.

 

[Smiling JOe]

black bears don't like dogs.

 

[seagrovegirl]

This is my neighborhood and I live next to the school off of 395N. My dogs have been going nuts lately...just ask my po'd neighbor. My garbage is getting scattered nightly.
I think I'll go look for bear tracks!

 

[Teresa Cline]

black bears don't like dogs.

If I was out very early morning with my dogs on the park trails just on the other side of E Point Washington and my dogs smelled one and ran after it...what would be the best thing to do?...I let my dogs off leash back there..now I am a little bit freaked!

 

[passin thru]

Black Bears are very shy. Only very hungry ones come near people and it is usually because of garbage being left out (dumpsters). These woods used to be full of them but they are still hunted here though there are hardly any left. They will sometimes migrate large distances, even crossing open waters during mating season.

Kurt, thanks for the insight ... I, too, will cross open waters during mating season.

Honestly, I'm very pleased to still have some of our large carnivores (omnivore in this case) this close by. They're good indicators for the health of an ecosystem.

As many above have wisely noted -- people, keep your garbage securely contained so that the bears can live peacefully in these woods & not be unfairly tempted by your Haagen Daz containers, OK?